ABU DHABI, 4th August, 2026 (WAM) — The UAE Pro League has announced the final shortlists for the 2025–26 Season Awards, with the winners to be revealed during the annual awards ceremony on Monday, 10 August, at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi.
The ceremony will honour the winners across all award categories. Three Al Ain stars have been shortlisted for the Golden Ball Award for Best Player: Matias Palacios, Kodjo Laba, and Soufian Rahimi.
The finalists for the Leader Award for Best Coach are Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa (Shabab Al Ahli), Vladimir Ivic (Al Ain), and Goran Tufegdžić (Ajman).
Competing for the Golden Glove Award for Best Goalkeeper are Khalid Eissa (Al Ain), Zayed Ahmed (Al Wahda), and Hamad Al Meqbaali (Shabab Al Ahli).
The Golden Boy Award for Best U23 Player will be contested by Abdulkarim Trawri and El Houssein Rahimi (Al Ain), alongside Abdoulaye Toure (Al Nasr).
The shortlist for the Fans’ Player of the Year Award features Nicolás Giménez (Al Wasl), Rami Rabiea (Al Ain), and Soufian Rahimi (Al Ain).
Meanwhile, El Houssien Rahimi (Al Ain), Alejandro Romero (Al Ain), and Sergio Pereira (Al Wasl) have been shortlisted for the Best Goal Award.
In the criteria-based awards, Al Wasl, Al Nasr, and Al Ain are the finalists for the Club Licensing and Professionalism Award, while Bani Yas, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra have been shortlisted for the Fan Attendance Award.
The ceremony will also recognise the winners of the statistics-based awards. Kodjo Laba (Al Ain) secured the Golden Shoe – ADNOC Pro League Top Scorer award after finishing the season with 25 goals, while Abdoulaye Toure (Al Nasr) claimed the Golden Shoe – ADIB Cup Top Scorer award with four goals. Ali AlMemari (Al Jazira) won the Silver Shoe – U23 League Top Scorer award after scoring 17 goals.
In addition, the Dream Team, featuring the season’s best XI, will be unveiled during the ceremony.
Source: Emirates News Agency